Hate Me Tonight
by Secret-Universe
Summary: While staying at Amy's cottage, Tails acts strange towards Shadow with insults... then threats... and then even... violence... Please Give More Reviews
1. Staying for the Week

It is late at night on a winter's evening, snow blowing around Mother Nature's storm, as two bright lights are showing through the fog… until it reveals to be headlights from a red/black vehicle and driving in it are both the famous Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog, the former driving his car while the latter sat pouting crossly, muttering to himself once in a while of how he himself got talked into spending a week at Amy's cottage, despite this blizzard and such else.

"I could've canceled."

"The hell you were," spoke Shadow, keeping his ruby-colored glare on the road to avoid an accident.

"Oh come on!" the cobalt hedgehog whined like a 10-year-old, "I already had plans for the weekend too!"

"Sonic, isn't there something else you could be doing _besides _playing that goddamn "Olympics" game over and over," then he added sourly, "_Without _yelling at the screen to a certain red plumber?"

"Hey, it's Mario's fault I had to go the same speed as him!" Sonic slouched in his car seat, "And besides," he smirked, "I wasn't the first one to actually scream the F word when it came to his rival, Wario."

Shadow glared dumbfounded, "Only ONE time I did that! ONE TIME!"

"Uh, Shads…?" Sonic suddenly noticed a new pair of bright lights coming straight towards them, "Sh-Sh-Sh-shadow!"

"What-?" The black hedgehog caught sight of the upcoming truck, "_Oh shit!_" He quickly turned a hard right to one side, avoiding any cause of damage.

Sonic was gripping for dear life, "Damn it, what was that?"

"Hey you were the distracting one!" Shadow then noticed the same truck in his rearview mirror, "They don't give up, do they?"

"Well, at least I didn't make him mad!" Sonic shouted back, yelping as Shadow was now sliding all over the road, "Stop, stop, stop!" He knew he should've offered to drive but nooooooo…

"Hey, trucker-boy, here's the bird you ordered!" Shadow grinned, whipping his hand and of course, gave the "bird", receiving a loud honk of rage as Shadow slammed on the gas and Sonic's scream was the only thing left heard in the snowy fog, leaving the truck behind.

"SHADOW, STOP IT!" Sonic's eyes watered with tears as they were going so fast, "Could you at least let us get to Amy's ALIVE?"

"Fine enough," Then, secretly smirking to himself, he chuckled, "_Ah, that was kind of fun._"

* * *

We see a view of a small cottage, supposedly belonging to Amy Rose, and it wasn't snowing as much as it was earlier that night. The garage door is slowly opening, pouring out bright light as a shadowed figure stands there quietly, with what looked like a weapon of some sort… the figure came out, looking like a familiar two-tailed fox, wearing a hockey mask… he raised the chainsaw and…

"Yo, Tails!"

Tails, stopping in the middle of cutting what seemed to be large logs, turned at the cocky voice. Sonic and Shadow had driven up, Sonic still a little shaky but that was probably from either the coldness or Shadow's wild ride. Shadow, however, remained as cool as he always had done many times, even from the chaotic drive.

"Oh!" Tails lifted up his hockey mask, smiling happily to see his brother-like hero, "Sonic, you finally made it! Do you know how long it took to keep Amy company?" Then he spotted Shadow, and paused. He did know Shadow was coming but strangely, and lately… Tails couldn't trust him and for secret reasons…

"Good to be here too, Miles…" Shadow crossed his arms. He could tell for some reason that the fox didn't feel comfortable around him lately.

"So, Tails, where do you plan putting logs like that?" Sonic decided to bring in a little joke to lighten things up.

Tails' odd answer? "Bend over and I'll show you."

Both hedgehogs looked a little surprised at this reply. Sure, Tails learned a few jokes from Sonic, or two, but this one… frowning but yet smiling, Sonic answered with a nervous laugh, "Now look, little buddy, haven't we spoken about which type of humor to use around our friends? You know better by now then to…"

"Who said I was talking to you?"

Sonic paused… if Tails wasn't directing the joke at his brother figure, then… he turned to Shadow, who looked a little shocked but remained expressionless, knowing full well that this insult had been thrown at him. Imagine that, the young genius fox brave enough to insult him, the Ultimate Lifeform. Tails just gave a quick pout and placed his mask back on, charging up the chainsaw.

The blue Mobian placed a hand on his friendly rival's shoulder, "Now I'm sure Tails was kidding, he might just be freezing from being out here for a while."

"If that's what you say, Hedgehog." Shadow turned towards the front door, "Either me first or you want to get pounced by Amy."

"Oh whatever!" Sonic followed him, "All I know is Hot Chocolate is involved."

* * *

With Tails, he still was cutting the logs up, "_Sure_…" he mumbled to himself, softly, "_It was a joke Sonic… you knew that…_" he then growled in a voice not his own, "_But what he heard, it won't be a joke for long… and I won't have it…_"


	2. Insults Into Threats

Later inside, as the blizzard continues outside, the group sits themselves in Amy's kitchen, with the hot chocolate and other little treats she prepared. "It's not so much since the stores were closed so I had to go with whatever I could find around here."

"Not bad, Amy," Sonic sipped his warm drink down, "Still, those little wrapped-things could use…" He yelped as she seemingly reached for her hammer, "What, I'm just saying!"

"Good Sonic," Amy replied, sweetly. Sonic shuddered, easily spooked by how Amy changed her moods so fast. Tails in the meantime was tearing off each wrapper of those little snacks he could get his hands on, as Shadow sat next to him just watching.

"Hungry, aren't you Miles?" The black hedgehog seemed to get no answer as Tails was slowly becoming more aggressive and snarling as he bit into each snack like a dog with a chew toy, half-muttering to himself about something. Shadow didn't want to admit it but he was starting to think that whatever Tails was upset about with him, he wasn't taking it so calmly, for each wrapper torn off started sounding like firecrackers.

Amy and Sonic didn't bother asking as the pink-furred girl smiled, "See, Tails likes what I bake, right Tails?"

"Sure, Amy…" Tails had a mouthful, pouting at the same time.

Shadow sighed a little, "Really should slow down once in a while."

"Says you!" Tails tore off the next wrapper, which almost made the black hedgehog cringed. He just kept his normal close eye on the fox, '_This is going to be a strange week like Faker mentioned…_'

"Well, does anyone else need anything?" No one replied, so she then asked, "Sonic, think you can help me out with a little favor?"

"Uh, sure?" Sonic knew fully as well to not disobey Amy so he quickly followed, which meant only Tails and Shadow were left in the kitchen. Silence came around as Shadow shifted away from the fox, who stared at him hard, "What?"

"Something's wrong with you, Tails. And it's not just the big blizzard now is it?" Shadow wanted these answers and he had to know now, even if it meant forcing Tails to spill it out.

"Oh nothing, just um… what you might call, frustrated." Tails turned away, clearly in no mood to speak with the hedgehog.

"Well, didn't have to insult me earlier."

"Why not? You don't give a damn anyways."

"Whoa there, Miles!" Shadow stood up, starting to get annoyed plus with the fact the fox just swore at HIM, "You know better then to speak to the Ultimate Lifeform that way!"

"_Better then to speak to the Ultimate Lifeform that way!_"

Shadow blinked. Now Tails thought he could mock him? "Really, now?"

"_Really, now?_"

The hedgehog frowned, "Stop that."

"_Stop that._" Tails was starting to enjoy this.

"This is serious!"

The fox started to face him again, "_I'm serious!_"

Shadow growled as did Tails in his own way, as the hedgehog slapped his forehead, this was starting to get ridiculous. "Okay, look, just stop with your empty threats and we can just move on now." He started into leaving…

"Don't you dare call them empty threats…"

"Tails, we just…" Shadow then didn't know how the fox did it and he was yanked back hard, almost hitting the table as Tails had a tight grip on his wrist, snarling madly. This was no joke either.

"Miles, let go-"

"I can easily show you what a real threat is!"

"Okay, so I know why you're mad but-"

"**DO YOU?**" Tails literally forced Shadow's face into his own, blue burning eyes matching up with crimson blood-red, "**Do you, Shadow? What's been upsetting me for the past few months of my life having to loose something of value to me?**"

"Miles, just take it easy and perhaps we can just…" Shadow grunted as Tails slammed his wrist hard onto the table, seemingly wanting to crush it.

"**The name you can address me by is MILES 'TAILS' PROWER!**" Tails grabbed the butter knife, menacingly and showing no sign he would change his mind, not even Shadow could. All that the hedgehog could do right now was wait, would Tails calm down? Not in this statement, it didn't seem. The knife was raised higher and suddenly swung down… into the pad of butter, but that was only because Amy had appeared in the room, even the fox had to release Shadow quickly to prevent what just happened. Shadow rubbed his hand; he had to admit that really hurt.

"…so that's where I left it," She grabbed the flashlight and noticed Shadow and Tails, "Did something happen, I thought I heard yelling?"

"Oh nothing, just, um… just a little game of sorts, right?" Shadow wasn't answering to a lie, "_Right?_" He took note of the fox's voice volume that already told him Tails would go back to what he was planning to finish if he didn't reply.

"…right." Shadow answered quietly.

"Oh good, there's still the hot chocolate on the table." She turned on the flashback and headed back out.

Tails just shrugged, "Busy Amy and Sonic," as he was hopping down from his seat, Shadow quickly stood up, "Alright Miles, what's the real catch here?"

"What?" Tails had already glued his face of innocence.

"Don't play dumb with me, Prower! You were planning to stab me, weren't you? And for what purpose?"

Tails grew serious for a brief moment, "And you say you're the Ultimate Lifeform and can do anything except…"

Shadow sighed, still annoyed, "Except what?"

Tails lowered his eyelids, frowning, "At least _I _can tell my reason for doing something, even if others don't want it to happen." With that, he stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Shadow alone, angry, confused and… perhaps worried? Nah, he should be, Tails wouldn't think of such things… right?


	3. The Last Straw

The week was passing rather slowly, and even if it would turn they'd had to stay longer due to the storm, Amy didn't mind it at all. She loved spending time with her friends… although she and now Sonic were getting worried about Tails' behavior around Shadow lately. He wouldn't talk to him and if he even did talk to him, it would only be in grumbles and insults… mainly threats when they weren't around the two. Something didn't feel right at all and they just didn't know what… until that one night, where things took a wild dangerous turn of events.

Alone by himself in the living room, Tails was busy tending to a small bright pink rose in his flower pot. He couldn't bear leaving it behind for a purpose, it brought back a lot of happy yet sad memories of… her. That one person who was special and beautiful enough to be someone who could've stayed with him, loved him forever as he would love her but… sadly and unfortunately, it would never happen, not after… those events…in space, where she saved the Galaxy… a tear slowly came to his eye. He didn't bother wiping it though as he let it drop onto a petal of his precious flower… his only precious flower now… even if it wasn't the real thing.

Unknown to him, watching from the kitchen, Shadow just stared hard at him and… that flower… was that why Tails was so pissed at him? He should've figured it by now, that flower was why Tails kept threatening him, he thought that flower could make the fox even stronger then him? That couldn't be, and there was no way it could happen anyhow, He was the Ultimate Lifeform and Tails was just a weak pathetic fox, even if being a genius. Whether he would regret it or not… he had to do something…

"…I'll be right back…_Cosmo…_" With that softly said Tails got up and headed for his room that Amy gave him for the week since he and the others were in fact staying longer then expected.

Shadow watched stiffly, waiting till the fox was completely out of sight and then, when it seemed the coast was completely clear, he stepped out into the room, staring at the colorful rose that glittered with the water Tails gave it… and that tear still lingered there on its leaf tip. It made it look so… attractive but Shadow just frowned as he started to come closer… "_So it was you…?_" He asked, still frowning, "_You knew you weren't going to live long anyhow, you've already ruined Tails' life and still annoy mine as well_…" He started to reach out to touch one velvet petal, "_You didn't deserve living and you don't right now…_"

"Shadow, is that you!"

The hedgehog jumped at the voice suddenly calling him, it was Tails! He was already coming back! But at the same time he startled of alarm, his hand had pushed something in cause of that jump. He turned… the rose! If Tails saw anything happen to that… quickly, he reached for it but it merely slipped from his hand as it made connection with the wooden floor… and smashed into pieces, spreading dirt and chunks of the flower pot. The rose however, still remained unharmed, wilting from the loss of its small garden but none the less.

Shadow couldn't help feeling a little panic as the fox slowly trudged into the room... and stopped… his rose… his ROSE! And Shadow, he was right there! He must've pushed the flower off on purpose! Tails quickly ran to his rose, as Shadow backed off just to be safe.

Sonic, also hearing the crash came out from his room and saw the gather up in the living room. He looked in Tails' room for some reason… and gulped at what he saw, "_Oh no, Tails…_" Quickly went to join the others as we see what Sonic had took notice of. On Tails' desk, a photo of all their friends but… one had been scratched out with a permanent black marker… Shadow the Hedgehog. And not only that, written all over that page were these words that repeated themselves seemingly nonstop…

_**Kill him… kill him… kill him… kill him…**_

"Guys?" Amy rushed in as well, "Is everything alright?"

Shadow watched as Tails was trying to gather up the rose as best as he could to keep it from getting unhealthy. As he quickly placed it in a glass of water and getting dirt to go with it, Shadow couldn't hold back, even if it meant getting a reaction from Tails.

"It was an accident, I swear!" He admitted, "I didn't even see it coming!"

"You should know that flower is special to him!" Amy, being the first to snap at him, frowned like a scolding mother to her child, "Do you have any idea of what you've just done!"

Tails made sure his flower was okay and slowly stood up, his eyes hiding in his bangs as he looked down…

"Well, the flower pot can be replaced; does the rose make any difference?"

"Shadow-"

"_Get out…_"

The quarreling stopped short as they turned to Tails. What did he just say? And was it being said to Shadow? Just how angry was he? His fist tightened, "_Get out of this house, get out of this house… get out, get out, get out, get out…_" His voice started to grow louder with each repeating, "_**Get out, get out, get out…**_"

Shadow sighed, "Listen Miles…"

"**GET OUT!**" With that, Tails violently grabbed the black hedgehog and threw him against the doorway, leaving Shadow almost stunned but Tails wasn't finished, "**GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR HOUSE, GO AWAY!**" Tails jumped at him, grabbing his throat, preparing to choke him to death.

"STOP IT!" Amy cried, in worry. She planned this stay over so that her friends could have fun, not fight like this! Even Sonic grew alarmed at his little brother's sudden outragement.

Tails just breathed hard and snarled, brining up his burning blue eyes of icy fire, "Why… did you LIVE? And not Cosmo?"

"What…?" Shadow knew it, that was the cause of all that, he was right! But it didn't seem like a good time to be bragging about it, especially with the fox trying to cut off his air supply.

"ANSWER ME!" Tails kicked him hard in the gut, making Shadow cringe badly, he was starting to get dizzy now. Sonic, having enough grabbed Tails off of Shadow but the fox continued fighting back, wanting to finish off Shadow once and for all.

"Back off, buddy!" Sonic did his best to keep Tails away, but it didn't seem to be working.

"NO!" Tails struggled hard and furiously, "LET GO OF ME!"

Shadow slowly stood up, catching his breath and watched the scene taking place in front of him, Sonic having to fight off his little brother.

"Quit it! Tails, you don't have to freak out!"

"STOP IT!"

"Cut it out!"

"LET GO!"

It seemed clear enough to Shadow, nothing was changing Tails' mind… nothing… even when the next words popped out of nowhere.

"MAKE HIM _DIE!_" screamed Tails loudly, both out of crying and anger.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, MILES!" Sonic shouted loudly, enough to cause Tails to cease his struggling and fall to his knees, shaking but he crawled over to his rose again.

"…I don't mean to be like that, Tails," Sonic began to walk over, "But you didn't have to be like that."

'_Not a good idea, Faker…_' Shadow could see Tails was still clenching his fists, ready to take out a next victim.

"Now do you have anything to say to him?" Sonic waited for Tails' reply and he did but not the one Sonic wanted from him.

"You weren't there when it happened!" Tails shouted, blinded by raged tears, "And in other words, we do not defend the enemy, which HE is!" He pointed angrily towards the black hedgehog.

Sonic wasn't buying it, "Shadow is a friend of ours, Tails and you'll just have to except that. Now it's either apologize…" as he went on, he took no notice of Tails' expression as he bit his lip, making it bleed and his hands tightened so much you could've heard snapping… "..And then we'll see if we can do something about your behavior lately around here and-"

"_WE…DO NOT…_" Tails was getting dangerously close to exploding with rage, "_DEFEND THE… GOD… DAMN… ENEMY!_"

Amy started looking scared and Shadow scrambled to his feet, watching half-nervously. If any could calm Tails down, it was Sonic but it didn't seem to be working. Sonic, however, decided enough was just enough.

"Just listen to me, Ta-"

"_**SHUT THE HELL UP!**_"

With that, the fox grabbed Sonic by the throat with his tails and twirled them really fast, even too fast for poor Sonic as he was flung across the room and landed hard against the wall, breaking a picture frame with his arm, making him cringe. He stared at Tails, almost frightened by his sudden strength.

"…that should teach you…you and your whiney cocky attitude." Tails frowned, having no signs of concern.

Sonic just stared and touched his aching arm and was alarmed to find a red stain on his glove and in his peach-colored fur… blood. Tails, however, just grabbed his rose and headed off as Amy ran to Sonic's side, beginning to tend to his scratch. Shadow began to follow Tails, "Miles, do you even know what you've done?"

"That's what I should be asking you."

"I told you before that it was…"

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!" Tails stopped halfway to the bathroom door, glaring down at Shadow, who decided to keep silent. Tails went on, "I've been going through a lot of hard time and you just keep making things worse along with that blue boy and his pinky slut!" That made Amy start to cry as Sonic held her, listening to Tails as he continued, "You have no feelings, Shadow! We hate you and it's obvious you've always hated us, even enough to ruin our lives! So why can't you just leave us alone?" With that, he slammed the door closed, leaving Shadow just standing there. He bowed his head, Tails would never believe him now, not even trust him again... and worse…

"_Why are you still here? Go away!_"

Shadow jumped, Tails seemed to still know he was just standing there, so he started leaving yet he listened as Tails was talking to that flower…

"_It's alright, Cosmo. You're still safe with me. Besides, Shadow doesn't care, he never cared about anybody. He loves making people in misery, that's the only thing he's good at, and it always will be. I said he'd be sorry… and he's going to be…_"

"…god…" Shadow just left quietly to his own room… hearing only one more thing from Tails as he closed the door.

"_He'll never feel guilty… he has no heart… he's a monster…_"


	4. Taking Care of Sonic and Amy

Dark in the middle of the blizzard-filled night, everyone is cuddled up in their beds for the night, and all is quiet in their snug little homes, of course, except for Amy's cottage and it was silent but… kind of awkward and… kind of scary… but we'll get to that later…

In Amy's room, Sonic was snuggled up in his sleeping bag, having to kindly refuse the offer to sleep with Amy who was lying quietly in her soft pink fluffy bed. Strange thing is, Sonic's sleeping bag was lying next to Amy in her bed. Each time, Sonic felt her getting closer and always asking softly, enough to make him jump slightly, "Please?"

"No." He scooted away but no prevails.

"Please?"

"Never."

"Please?"

"I said- _Gah!_" With that, Sonic being too close to the edge fell onto the floor, tangled a little, "…ow."

Amy woke up, seeing him just lying there, "Sonic, get back in bed." She flicked on the light.

"No, I'm just fine, hard wooden floor is always the best for me. I like it that way." Sonic murmured, hoping his excuses would get through to her.

"It's Tails, isn't it?"

Sonic sat up, frustrated, "Amy, that just wasn't right! My friendly rival and little buddy fighting like that, it just can't be!"

"But Tails was only a little upset…"

He pouted, "Amy, he literally _threw _me against the wall!"

"True, but your arm's already healing up." She pointed to the bandage around where his bleeding had stopped a few minutes ago. Sonic just sighed, not sure if he should even forgive his little brother.

"…Well, I'll admit that but, you know… it was about _her…_" By which, he meant Cosmo.

Amy lowered her head, "Yeah, I felt really bad for both of them."

_Knock-knock…_

"Up this late?" Sonic got up to answer.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Amy followed him, as at the door, Tails greeted them, holding a small bag and looking downward…

"Hi, Sonic…"

"Hey, Tails…" Sonic still frowned, "You realize your behavior tonight wasn't way past cool."

"I know…"

"Tails, you really scared us badly because of that." Amy added, yet she worried for how the young fox was feeling right now.

Tails seemed to sense that, "I'm fine really, guys. I just overreacted really badly. Plus, I do apologize for what happened, including your arm, Sonic."

"Oh that was no biggy, little bro." Sonic insisted, "So, now that we got that out of our way, what is it that you need at this hour?"

"Is there something we can do for you?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, um…" Tails slightly paused before he continued, saying, "Maybe something left in the basement, but it's way too dark down there being winter and stuff so…"

"Aw," Sonic patted his head a little, "Genius still scared of the dark."

"_Let's not push it,_" grumbled the fox, hating to be treated always like a kid.

"Well, let's go then, it's rather late though." Amy led the way, as Sonic and Tails followed behind. Sonic, in the middle, still was a little cautious of Tails, who walked behind slowly as the blue hedgehog thought, '_Suppose he tries something funny, he is a rather smart young fox but the way he raged on us, mostly Shads, is this even a good idea? I feel like I'm in one of those horror movies where the person attacks unexpected, leading others into a trap first and then…_'

"Sonic!" Tails clung to his arm, being careful of his wound.

"Uh, Tails?" Sonic shook him, "Let go now before you make more damage to that."

"My fault." As Tails got off of him, he glared silently, '_Just a little further, Sonic. You and Amy will thank me later once Shadow's out of our lives…_'

"Here we are," said Amy, opening the door as they slowly stepped down the stairs, "Careful that no one slips." The basement echoed with each step taken as the group of friends looked around.

"Anything specific, Tails?" Sonic asked. It was late and they all had to get to sleep.

"Well, maybe…" Tails pointed to a spot on the floor, "Under there?"

"That? Oh come on," Sonic knelt down and, just to humor things up, lifted a lid from the floor that hid special weapons, "With it being so late, you scared of monsters in the winter?"

"Sonic…"

"Yeah?" Sonic looked up… but that suddenly proved as a mistake, REALLY BIG MISTAKE. For Tails, still having a rather plain look, became angry and whipped out a canister, pressing the nozzle and out came a black cloud: Pepper Spray. When Sonic had looked up, it happened rather too fast for him as the spray entered itself into his olive-green eyes. It burned, it stung, it even blinded him, as he screamed in pain, falling over and trying to rub out the hot sting from his tearing-up eyes. Tails decided to take the advantage and grabbed Sonic's long quills without any mercy of Sonic's screaming and rolled him over on his back, getting on top of him. Sonic finally managed to be able to see a little clearly and what he could make out was a fuzzy vision of Tails and what looked like a long yellow stick thing…with a needle.

"You're too easy to fool, Hedgehog, thinking you can get on top of everything… but for me," He squirted the substance out of the needle, smirking, "You can never get by at all. Nighty-night."

"Buddy…?" Sonic suddenly knew what was going on; Tails had tricked him and Amy into coming down here but why? Possibly to do away with Shadow, leaving him and Amy out of his way. Tails prepared to inject but got a hard blow from behind his head and there stood Amy swinging her large Hammer.

"No you don't Miles!" Amy growled.

"You want to try me?" Tails stood up, frowning and reaching behind his back, "You're just like all those other girls…" He grinning insanely with a tazer, "Weak, pathetic and thinking they can help their favorite hero, huh?"

"That's really funny, Tails." Amy smirked, speaking without even thinking, "If you _all _other girls wouldn't that mean Cosmo?" Silence filled the room until Tails snarled.

"**You… bitch, I knew it! You'd actually dared to insult Cosmo and right in front of me!**"

She gasped in horror, did she just say THAT? She didn't mean it that way! It was a mistake! "Tails, please! Before you-"

"**Too late, Rose! After all, you were the only one at first who got jealous of Cosmo when all she wanted was our help!**" With that, Tails threw the tazer.

Amy screamed as she got a big shock and fell unconscious to the floor, her Hammer disappearing. Tails just stood there, until his tails got grabbed by an almost weakened Sonic.

"That's enough… Tails…"

"**Enough for you, but just not enough for me!**" Tails whipped Sonic to one side of the room, crashing against the wall and some cardboard boxes and flew over without giving Sonic a chance to barely recover. He grabbed him from behind, putting his arms behind his back, as the hedgehog struggled.

"Tails, let go! You can stop this now!" Sonic shouted, knowing it was already useless.

"See how the fastest thing alive can survive this…" Tails got the needle ready as he grabbed one of the hedgehog's hands, tearing off the glove by force. He held Sonic around by the neck, causing him to choke.

"TAILS, STOP!"

In went the needle. Sonic stopped struggling, as the juice entered into his bloodstream. His eyes went dull and Tails released him, as Sonic tried to stand wearily and groaning, stumbling halfway. Tails just laughed at this, as if really amused.

"Any second now, he'll go into that mode I prepared myself." Tails became rather gleeful, "Finally, something that weakens hedgehogs! And good thing too, that I have enough juice left for the Lifeform himself!"

Sonic slowly and dizzily took a long pipe and asked in a slurring type of voice, "_Wh-what's the prob… problem, o-officer…?_"

"Huh?" Tails watched, this might be interesting.

"_I… I was late for s-s-s-s-s-s-something-g-g-g-g-g and you… you p-pulled me over for this ch-charge…_" Sonic was getting very wearily by now, "_Whatev-ever your chaaaaarge is, I'll be gl-glad to pay you up, s-s-s-sir…_"

'_Who knew this stuff could get such people drunk? Let's see…_' Tails began to play along, "And how much have you had tonight, young man?"

Sonic's pupils shrank, "_Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down… n-never gonna run around and dessert you…_"

Tails frowned with a blank stare, '_Yep, he's drunk. Enough to Rick roll me in offense. Just what could he be planning to…_' Suddenly, Sonic raised the pipe he still held and hit himself on the head. Tails blankly blinked, '_What the hell…?_'

"_Are you k-k-k-k-kidding, Miles?_" Sonic continued to beat himself with the pipe, giggling out of his own control, "_I used to do this way b-b-b-before I started copying you…weeeeee…_"

Tails cleared his throat, "Uh, young man?" He kept up the charade, despite being freaked out, "Maybe you would like to lie down for a few hours before we call that ambulance."

"_Oh, that w-w-would be lovely, o-o-officer…_" Dropping the pipe and slightly bruised in the face, Sonic finally collapsed, going into unconsciousness as he murmured some last words, "_…my rum is gone…_"

Tails shifted, "Well, that was taking up some time then I expected, and sorry for wasting any time of yours, folks," he spoke that to the readers, "But now then," He grinned, "Time for a little payback…"


	5. Battle and Death

Still half-asleep in his own bedroom, Shadow was tossing and turning once in a while. Did Tails really mean those threats? He couldn't possibly… oh what was the use? He couldn't even fall asleep without thinking such thoughts that oddly… bothered him. He got up, and stepped outside his room, no sign of anything from Sonic or Amy… or even Tails… he started walking into the living room, looking around. It was hardly snowing outside so it was calm…

*_SQUEAK*_

Shadow jumped at the sound as his foot had stepped on something; it looked like a doll… an odd doll looking like Tails… the Tails Doll? Rolling his eyes, he scooped it up, staring at it closely, its normal creepy grin and bright red eyes. Chuckling to himself, Shadow looked on the back where he expected the batteries to be but when he checked… nothing there…

"_Oh well, it needed that anyhow_…"

Suddenly, the head turned as it asked, "**Hi I'm the Tails Doll! Wanna play?**"

"Shit!" Shadow dropped it as it rolled underneath the couch. What the hell? It shouldn't be speaking like that… should it? He glanced underneath, it was lying perfectly still… gave a poke, then another. Still no movement. Grabbing it by the leg, Shadow glared at it, holding it tightly. "Talk…" He got no answer, "_I said talk to me, damn it!_" But it remained silent. "Oh great…" He dropped it, kicking it back under the couch and walked off, half-grumbling to himself, "Goddamn Miles…"

"Goddamn Shadow!"

He jolted as he looked around but only spotted the young two-tailed fox standing there, one of his hands behind his back. The hedgehog frowned, figuring there's a reason why Tails would be up so late… "Where are Faker and his girlfriend?"

"They're already taken care of, in their case." Tails continued the innocent act, his tails twitching here and there. His hidden hand was clutching something… _sharp and gleaming…_

"Very funny," Shadow wasn't buying it one bit, "So why aren't they out here saying it's past your bedtime then?"

"Why aren't they out here telling you _yours?_" Tails remarked back.

"Smart mouth, Tails. You should be careful of who you're talking to with that." Shadow started getting up as he felt Tails' hand grab his wrist.

"_And you should too…_"

"Miles…" That's when he felt a stinging pain in his arm and it became wet as he felt something leaking. Tails had recently stabbed his knife into the black hedgehog's arm and blood seeped out of its new opening. Shadow stumbled down, gripping it, as the fox stood over top of him.

"Get up…" Tails kicked him hard, sending Shadow over, "Get up!" Still not getting a reply, Tails had grabbed Shadow by his quills and pulled him up on his knees and held the knife dangling to the throat. Shadow struggled but he was actually surprised that Tails had such a tight grip.

"So let's start over again shall we?" Tails shook him, "Answer me!"

"What the… shit?" Shadow hissed but was given a jerk.

"Oh I see, one of your new favorite words? Well mind if I borrowed for a while?" Tails snarled deeply, "You're a _shitty _friend and a _shitty _hero! You just care about your own _shit _and don't give _shits_ about anyone else's _shit, _even my _**shit.**_"

"M-Miles, you have to understand…"

"NO YOU DO!" Tails violently pulled him face to face, "You need to understand how it felt for me and you only cared about your own selfish crap! You give no mercy on my friends anymore, do you? That explains why you're such… a heartless…" His lips mouthed briefly, "…_fuck…_"

Shadow just stayed silent but had enough. He somehow grabbed a hold of Tails, yanking him off his back and sent Tails crashing into Amy's favorite lamp of Sonic as it crashed to the floor. Shadow ran for his room as he watched Tails get up, a dark gleam in those eyes… no longer blue, no longer cheerful but just full of… madness, revenge and other horror thoughts…

Leaping to his feet, Tails roared as he charged but Shadow slammed it, locking without missing a beat. As the fox was heard screaming and scratching outside, he grabbed the phone, punching in the 9-1-1 call, but instead of anyone answering, he received the answering machine, delaying his call of panic. "Damn it, no…" He tried again but got the recorded, "I swear by God, don't you do this to me now!" He slammed it and tried for the third charm, but this time… no call… no recorded message… what was going on with the line?

"_I knew you'd do that already_."

He jolted once more and noticed the cord gripped in someone's hand… a certain fox…

"Tails?" Shadow dropped the phone, "How the hell did you get inside?"

"_**RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!**_" Tails just screamed, and leapt for Shadow, who ducked underneath, making Tails slam into the wall. Thinking quick enough, Shadow grabbed his car keys from the night table and shoved his way from Tails' crazy behavior and stumbled into the bathroom, landing backwards into the tub. The curtain fell down on him with the metal bar as Shadow pushed it out of his way, stopping for a brief second to catching his breath. Tails haven't entered just yet… not just yet… maybe he was stalling or tricking the hedgehog into thinking it was safe. What was more questioning, why the hell was he, the Lifeform, running away from a psycho 12-year-old fox boy? He then noticed the window, slowly stood up despite being so shaken and grabbed a hold to get it open but it wouldn't budge. Why did Amy always have to lock the windows at night? Burglars, no doubt but still…

"_Little pig, little pig_…"

He stopped, that was Tails! And speaking completely in a new volume voice…

"_Won't you let me in…?_"

Looking around, Shadow grabbed the closest object nearby, a shaving razor. He got nearby the door, prepared… or so he hoped…

"_Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin…_" The voice began to growl, getting no reply from Shadow who held his breath, "_Then I'll huff… and I'll puff… and I'll blow your house in…_"

Nothing happened… suddenly, an ax broke through, as Shadow stumbled backward, still clutching his weapon. Tails kept axing away, growing more insane, "_I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!_" The hedgehog tried not to make a sound, only a yelp or two as those ax swings got more and more violent, splintering the door a lot more, making an opening in it. It finally stopped but that was until the fox poked his head through, making Shadow start backing away. The burning blue eyes, the growing grin of insaness and the fire-like desire… for blood and revenge… it was glued there.

Tails snarled in eagerness, "_Here's Miley!_" He watched as the fox reached in with a hand to unlock the door but he was not taking anymore chances. Shadow sliced the hand with his razor, causing Tails to scream in both pain and alarm. While this distracts him, Shadow ran for the window, even if it was still locked up. Tails had already recovered and started breaking the door apart with his own hands, and Shadow seemed to have no choice… he punch the window, causing glass to break and he was able to fir through it except that Tails had grabbed his leg but was kicked backward as Shadow climbed through the window and, not wasting one second, took off far from Amy's cottage, with Tails flying after him, following real closely, gripping his knife tightly.

'_Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it…_' Shadow looked around, where was the best place? He spotted a large mountain up ahead but also noticed Tails zooming in at him, ready to finish him off for good. Shadow blocked him off, but Tails began stabbing non-stop to get to Shadow.

"Tails-!"

"_**I DON'T WANT HER DEAD!**_" He screamed, swinging more then violently. In fact, no other words could replace that of 'violent', "_**I LOVE HER! AND YOU MURMURDERED HER!**_"

Shadow blinked. That Cosmo girl… he frowned, rather frustrated and began to fight Tails back, still getting chased up the mountain. When they both stopped, Shadow turned to Tails who stared without blinking.

"Just hold on, Miles…" Shadow got into a fighting position, "You don't have to do this…"

"As what _she_ said you to but your reply?" Tails repeated the very words the hedgehog realized… "_You don't have to talk me out of getting rid of you so don't try…_" Tails then continued, "Foolish Hedgehog… you managed to get through Sonic and even Knuckles a few times, but you could NEVER get through me! You should've given up a long time ago but no, you kept insisting!"

"If you'd let me talk, Tails…"

"_DON'T FUCKING INTERUPPT ME!_" Tails snapped, pointing a jabbed finger at him as if accusing which he was, "I demanded answers, I demanded you'd stay away from Cosmo but what kind of bastard thinks you could ignore me and show no freaking mercy! You're all I thought you'd just be…" Shadow cringed at every word, "Heartless… a monster… and most of all," Tails' eyes narrowed, "…_you're the __**traitor**__..._"

Shadow couldn't think of anything to reply back with, so this seemed to give Tails an option to continue.

"People believed in you, as a hero, that sacrifice to save our planet but then you turned on all of us again, and Cosmo wanted to get to know you… as a hero but instead, in her eyes, you showed her that all you were was a monster, just like the goddamn Metarex…"

His fists clenched, "Miles… enough…"

"Oh no…" Tails smirked slyly, "Not just yet, it isn't enough…" He charged with a scream at Shadow as he grabbed his hands as they fought face to face. Shadow held his ground hard but so was Tails.

"Tails stop this!"

"Know what else I've found out?" Tails smirked, "_You have no past… there is no Maria… and Molly was only a lie to make us feel sorry for you…_"

"Not…"

"You fucking lie!" Tails kicked him hard against the ground, "What in the hell made you think I would care that Cosmo was a spy for the Metarex! You should know by now that if I cared… if I wanted her hurt… if I so much as gave a damn, I would've let you to your 'bidding' but I didn't, did I?" Tails slapped him, "DID I?"

Shadow cringed as he felt the marks, three deep scars and stared up at Tails, "You little…"

"Try me… I dare you, Hedgehog…"

Shadow stood up, breathing hard and pulled up a fist, screaming as he charged but Tails snapped his fingers, "CHAOS CONTROL!" Everything went still and Tails put on tons of kicks, punches and scratches on Shadow, knocking him down hard. When the hell did Tails learn Chaos Control?

"Miles…" Shadow wasn't sure he could keep up with this new sudden strength.

"Are you really going to bother?" Tails cracked him knuckles, "Even someone like you should know the best time to give and THAT was after the Sonic Boom Cannon! You could've just teleported yourself back to Eggman!"

He turned away, "_Good luck dying out here…_" He felt his tails get grabbed again.

Shadow shakily looked up, "I'm not finished with you… not just yet…"

"Empty threats mean nothing, Shadow." Tails kicked him hard, causing him to fly off, "You might like it yourself if someone attacked 'Maria' for no damn reason." He turned to leave again.

"Shut… up…about… Maria…"

"Will you just go unconscious?" Tails was starting to get annoyed.

The hedgehog rose up slowly, "I am… the Ultimate Lifeform… nothing is supposed to stop me…" He gave a death glare, "Not even you, Tails."

Tails remained unconvinced, "You do want to get beaten to the very death, don't you? Then bring it on." He got into a fighting stance, "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve anyhow."

Shadow roared as he dashed at him but Tails disappeared and grabbed him from behind, holding him by the arms.

"I'm getting sick of your excuses…"

"So…am I."

That's when Shadow spun wildly, with Tails hanging on for dear life, "HEY KNOCK IT OFF!" Shadow flew into the air and came back down, crushing Tails underneath his spinning. He stopped but grabbed the fox by the throat, as Tails' eye was staring to bleed from a brief scar.

"I won't give up against you!" Tails snapped, despite losing his voice being choked so hard.

"Face it… Miles… you were doomed anyhow! And you're finished here!" Shadow threw him down and, with all the power he had left to finish this reckless battle, gave punches here and there, trying to break Tails' body down. The fox slowly collapsed. Shadow kicked him a bit… Tails didn't move.

"Oh well, Sonic will deal with him afterwards…" He stepped over the fox, preparing to leave… he felt a chill in the wind and… his ear twitched nervously… but why… he heard breathing…

"_You're so confident aren't you? The one who thinks he can stand above the rest…_"

Shadow stopped short… it can't be… but he won! He glanced back… a small shadowed body dragged itself on the ground, clutching its eye that bled… '_How is it possible…?_' His pupils shrank… in alarm… maybe fright… '_How… how is he keeping up the fight?_'

Tails still dragged himself like a live-then-dead zombie, foaming at the mouth with anger, "_**All I wanted… was someone to love… Cosmo was that someone… and you fucking took her away from me… and you will pay… besides, you have no energy left… I can tell just by looking in those eyes…**_"

Shadow stumbled. He admitted he was weak but not to Tails, "At least I have enough energy to finish you off!" He threw a Chaos Spear… but it stopped, and Tails was holding it, until he crushed it in his hands, "_**You're pathetic…**_"

Shadow didn't know how else to think, how else to finish him… Tails wouldn't give up… and he kept getting closer, grabbed the knife… "_**I can tell you fear me now, that I will be the only person you look at when you pass on, and stay that way…**_" Shadow was going numb, it was getting cold and the wind was blowing hard now. He began shaking and couldn't stop, this gave Tails a chuckle, "_**You do fear me, Shadow… and you always will…**_" He grabbed him by the throat, "_**I doubt you have any last words to say to me…?**_"

Shadow gripped hard to get them off, "Just listen to me…"

"_**I've done enough of that, listening to all of your lies… maybe it's time it stopped here… but only one of us can live and we both know who it will be…**_" During that, something seemed to be distracting him. Shadow slightly noticed and grabbed for the knife but Tails kept him in a tight death grip. There will be an end to this, but not the way he'd expect…

The knife rose high up, "_**Farewell to thee… Hedgehog…**_"

Shadow braced. This might as well be the ending… a loud shot was heard.

He looked, had he been shot? He wasn't sure if he was dead but he still felt the cold shivers, proving he was alive… but why? He felt blood drip onto his chest and looked down there… blood came… from Tails' stomach. He stared in alarm back up at the fox, who only smiled… and coughed up the red fluids, letting go of Shadow and stumbling backwards, standing now a little too close to the edge…

"M-Miles…" Shadow started to reach out for him but Tails did the unexpected; he took a step backwards… and went over the edge. Everything happened so fast, Shadow screaming for Tails, the fox falling down the mountain, getting hit by rocks and branches and tiny trees that scratched his wounds bigger until he stopped at the bottom far below, unseen now.

"Tails?" Shadow began to panic, "_Oh no…_" He slid down the mountainside as it started raining down hard. As he stopped near the bottom, he looked around, listening for any signs. A snap reached his ear, "Tails!"

Lightning flashed as it showed shadows on the muddy snowy ground and… a body… not just anyone's body… Tails! Without wasting anytime, Shadow raced over and knelt by the wounded fox, shaking and almost close to his very death. He turned him over, listening for a heartbeat… still beating but his breathing didn't seem to match his condition. "Miles… Miles, can you hear me?" Tails didn't answer, or he refused to. Either way, he couldn't let the fox die out here, he didn't want this being his own fault. He gathered up the fox in his arms and started back in the direction of Amy's cottage…

"_**Let me die…**_"

Tails' voice was brief and quiet… Shadow kept running.

"_**I want to be with her again… just let me die…**_"


	6. RIP, Miles 'Tails' Prower

Back at the cottage, Amy and Sonic had recovered from their daze of Tails' actions and were now sitting around, waiting. They both felt he had gone out after Shadow to… give him a piece of his mind… for hurting Cosmo… Sonic paced impatiently back and forth as Amy rested by the fireplace, recovering from her shock and made sure that Sonic had dozed off from his headache, having to hit himself with the pipe and all that. Once that Tails and Shadow were coming home, there would be a great deal of scolding for the young fox.

"…but I'm worried too, Sonic." Amy spoke quietly, "We don't even have a single clue of how long they've been out there."

The blue hedgehog turned to her, "Even if so, Tails has no right to be like that!"

"But it's Cosmo who is the reason!"

"No matters, Amy…" Sonic began to turn away, "Tails should be ashamed of himself." Suddenly, Amy grabbed him out of anger, "Amy!"

"Don't you get it already? Tails didn't want to shoot Cosmo back then!"

"But he still-!"

"_**SHUT UP FOR ONCE!**_" Amy shoved him backwards, "Cosmo was our friend and that's all you can say? That it's Tails' fault to be like this! You'd be like that too if I sacrificed!"

"Ames…" Sonic grew silent. Maybe he should think things over with Tails and… just then, the door flew open, as a bit of blizzard swirled inside uninvited. They turned, expecting that Tails and Shadow had come in, and first there was Shadow… carrying a bloody, broken-down Tails, who seemed to have a hard time breathing and shaking so damn much.

Sonic was the first to speak up, "Shadow, just what-?"

"Call 911."

"What?"

"You heard me, damn it!" Shadow snarled, clutching the fox boy, "Call the goddamn ambulance!"

As Amy rushed to the phone, Shadow placed Tails' body of wounds onto the couch and Sonic approached them. He couldn't believe it, something had badly injured Tails and only one answer remained on his mind… he glared at the black hedgehog.

"What just happened out there?"

"I'll explain later but right now, Tails needs our help." Shadow wasn't taking his eyes off the fox boy. Tails coughed a little, starting to blink as his vision blurred, "…_Sonic…_"

"Right here, little buddy." Sonic smiled, half in relief.

Tails then noticed Shadow, jolted and started sitting up, "_YOU!_"

"Tails, back down!" Shadow didn't want him hurting himself anymore then he had.

"_No, not until-!_" Suddenly, Tails felt another jolt, inside his chest and he collapsed back down, coughing madly as if suffocating.

"Tails, easy little bro!" Sonic cautioned him, as Shadow held the fox's hand tightly, "Just take it easy."

"Calm down, Miles." Shadow stared as Tails took in a big breath and slowly relaxed.

"_B-but… Shadow…_" Tails shook madly.

"Just relax, Miles. We'll get you to the doctor's soon enough." The black hedgehog answered.

Amy walked back into the room, "The doctors are on their way, but it might take some time since of the blizzard out there."

"Goddamn it…" Shadow groaned. Must doctors always be so late?

* * *

Later in the hospital, Amy, Shadow and Sonic waited by Tails' bedside as the fox was sleeping right now, the sound of the monitor kept repeating its 'beep'. Then, the nurse came in.

"We should let him rest for now." The nurse spoke quietly, not wanting to awake Tails.

Sonic stood up, "Thank you, miss…"

"Just Olivia will do."

They started to leave silently, as Amy frowned, "I just hope that Tails will be…"

"_Come back, Shadow…_"

They stopped, even Shadow who briefly heard his name being called. Tails had awaked a little, whimpering, "_Please… let Shadow stay a little longer… I want him to know something… it's… important for… both of us…_"

"I'm sorry, but you young man must…"

"No," Shadow interrupted Olivia, "I might as well keep by him, if no one else will."

"Are you sure?" Sonic didn't seem to completely trust Shadow to do so, "Cause if anything happens…"

"You alert the nurses or doctors, Faker." Shadow said sternly.

Sonic paused for a moment, "Fair enough…" Then he and Amy left with Olivia speaking to them about the fox's condition. Shadow then sighed, feeling that whatever Tails wanted with him now… he pulled up a stool and sat by Tails' bedside. They remained quiet, except for the 'beep-beep'…

"Well?"

"_I knew it would come around anyhow… my death…_"

"Don't be speaking like that, Miles. We'll find a way soon enough, okay?"

"_You're the only one who could help me now…_" Tails groaned, "_Just one last… favor, Shadow…_" He pointed to something, "_I need… you… to… pull the plug…_"

Shadow looked where the fox pointed… as his eyes widened a little. The plug, Tails wanted him to yank out… was connected to his monitor. But then that would mean…

"N-No, Tails! I am not going to-!"

"_You always put people in their unwanted place…_" Tails fell against the pillow, with a look of great sadness, "_Please, for me?_"

Shadow frowned in concern, as he looked from the plug back to Tails… the poor fox had gone through so much and… he just couldn't… sighing, he got up and walked slowly over to the mentioned plug. His hand shook as he began to reach for it… just one yank… a life would be gone… but then his friends… he'd be blamed for…

His hand pulled back, as Shadow stood up, "I'm sorry, Tails… I'm not doing this."

"_Funny… you wanted to put Cosmo in her place, but you won't put me in mine?_" Tails reached out a shaking hand, as Shadow grasped it, sitting back down. "_You pretty much do care, don't you?_"

"I feel bad enough for attacking someone you cared for but don't force yourself into this." Shadow's eyes wavered a little, "Miles, there was something out there, wasn't there? Not just us fighting, but you were… and then the shot…"

Tails gave a quiet laugh, "_You'd… have to look in my memories for that, now wouldn't you?_" His hand tightened on Shadow's a little, "_Besides… I should be feeling bad… I insulted Maria and that Molly…_"

"No, no, Tails." Shadow's head hung for a brief minute, "I should be apologizing more then this… I can't… take back anything that I've done to you and…"

"_I know that…_" Tails laughed again before he cringed really hard, in pain and suffer.

"Miles!" Shadow stood up, as Tails clutched his chest, groaning and whimpering, "Just take it easy, Miles. If it hurts much, we'll get the nurse in here."

"_No… no need…_" Tails began to grow sleepy, "_If I had any other last words… for you and the others… I'm sorry…_"

"Tails…" Shadow shook his head, "Stop acting like this, this can't be what you really want, is it?"

The fox remained silent, growing sleepier…

"Tails…?"

"_Can… can you hear me…?_" Tails groaned. Shadow twitched his ears at this. Was he talking to him or to himself?

"Miles?"

"_Please… you can hear me… Cosmo?_"

"Miles!" Shadow grew a little frantic, "Snap out of it, you're not dying!"

"_I'm coming… to be with you again… forever…_" Tails' eyes grew tears as he weakly smiled, "_I… really missed you…_"

"Damn it, Tails!" Shadow leapt up, as the fox looked at him slowly, "Knock off the crap, you won't die!"

"_I want to…_" Tails' eyelids wavered, "_I want… to see her again… to see Cosmo once more…_" He whispered the next words, "_Good… goodbye…_"

"Miles, no! Don't you dare, damn it!" Shadow shook his head. Tails had to be kidding here!

"…_goodbye… Shadow… the Hedgehog…_" His eyes dropped… and so did his head… his hand slipped out of Shadow's, onto the bed, lifeless. Shadow grew in horror of this.

"Tails, no! Open those eyes! Damn it, Tails! Wake up!" The beeping increased wildly and Tails wasn't responding… "Tails! Wake up, Tails!"

The nurse, Amy and Sonic ran in from hearing the commotion, as Sonic yelled, "What's going on?"

"Shadow! Is Tails?" Amy cried.

The black hedgehog looked at them, "He fainted or something! He just won't wake up again!"

"Let me check!" Olivia went over to Tails, taking his hand for a heartbeat… "I don't feel anything."

"Little bro!" Sonic ran over, kneeling by Tails' side, "Tails! Come on, Tails!"

Olivia turned to him, "I'm sorry, but I must ask you to…"

"Oh screw off!" Sonic snarled, protectively before looking back at Tails, "Tails, I know you can hear me, come on, little buddy."

_**Beep-beep-beep…be-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e…**_

They turned in alarm at the sound. The beep grew longer… then that meant… that really meant that… but no… no he couldn't be…

Olivia turned to them sadly, "I'm sorry… we've tried everything we could…"

Sonic gaped at this, before looking back at Tails, just lay there… so stiffly… lifeless… and now… Amy started to cry and Shadow looked more horrified then he ever had. Tails wanted _him_ to stay… to apologize… and put him in his place, but…

"You…"

Shadow stared at Sonic, who got up slowly… and suddenly jolted a finger at him, "You did this Shadow!"

Shadow turned away, his hand on his face, "_No…_"

"You know it was you! Why else was Tails injured out there?" As Sonic ranted, Shadow began to boil up angry and upset. Amy backed away, as did the nurse.

"And I swear, that you were to ever-!"

Shadow finally roared at him, "_**HAVEN'T WE ENOUGH OF YOUR GODDAMN TRASH TALK!**_"

Sonic backed away, startled. Shadow just frowned at him. How dare Sonic speak like that?

"Alright, you listen here and listen good!" Sonic jabbed at Shadow's chest, "I don't want to see you anyway near Tails' funeral! None of us would want you there!"

Shadow argued back, "Fine enough, Faker! Miles wouldn't want me there, even in death!"

Olivia spoke, "Gentlemen, if you could just…"

"BUTT OUT!" Both hedgehogs snarled at the frightened nurse and concerned Amy. Shadow began to speak up again, "Just tell me, Sonic, because I'm curious." He walked towards Sonic, making him back up, "Did you think, for one damn minute, that Tails would still be alive if you haven't let him down in the first place!"

"Guys, please don't fight…" Amy was about to break down again.

"Seriously, are you that damn blinded?"

Sonic tried to defend himself, "I believe that there was hardly a time I ever let Tails down!"

"But what about the Metarex? And the death of that Plant Girl?"

"But I'm not the one who tried to force Cosmo into her so-called death!"

"BUT YOU'RE THE ONE HE BELIEVED IN!"

Shadow's last words made Sonic grow silent at last. Shadow continued, "Believed in you for being there… for being a brother… _for being a hero…_" He pointed to Tails' body, "Face it, Sonic! He trusted you to save Cosmo, but you did nothing… but stay there… and when I pushed you out of the way before you did anything of the matter…" Shadow began to shake, "…should've stopped me…"

Sonic didn't know how else to argue, since he didn't really realize that… Shadow was right. He had let Tails down, he believed in him for everything. As the nurse placed a white sheet over Tails, for the last time, Shadow turned for the doorway before Sonic called out, "Shadow…"

"Forget it!" Shadow turned to him, "I'll just go. Don't bother finding me at his funeral, because I already made him suffer enough…" He started to close the door, "…_like I did…_" a single tear slipped down his face as the door shut. Sonic felt guilty…

"Sonic…" Amy spoke to him, "Go after him…"

"I will." Sonic left.

* * *

Shadow kept walking down the hallway, head hanging down, and eyes closed tightly…

"Shadow! Shadow, come on! Wait!"

Sighing, he turned to face his rival, "What do you want?"

"Can you tell me… at least the truth, of why you attacked Cosmo in the first place…?"

Shadow sighed, '_I do have a reason, but I won't tell you what it is…_'… "Fine."

"Well?"

Shadow began the story, as he saw a flashback of a red-haired girl smiling at him for the last time, "It was Molly… we were fighting most of the Metarex but then she… might've died. So did the other men who were with her." He pictured Rouge and he standing by the trees, where the men were enclosed in them, "I was furious that time, I wanted to give the Metarex a piece of my mind, but then…" He pictured a very familiar plant girl, "…your friend, Cosmo, was revealed as their spy and I just thought that you would thank me afterwards but instead… Tails wouldn't let me get near her… I should've thought things over back then." He frowned, "I didn't even bother seeing the fear, the anger, the protecting back then… I was just… being selfish…"

"Shadow…" Sonic took it all in, "Tails wasn't really happy about it."

"I should've known. It was so much like me and... and Maria…"

"You two could've had something in common, if you both saw it that way back then…" Sonic then sighed before he spoke, "It's not your fault…"

"…what?" Shadow didn't hear him before.

"It's not your fault."

"Yeah, I know…"

"It's not your fault…"

Shadow glared at him, "I said I know…"

"No, Shadow, please… it's not your fault."

"Didn't I just say-?"

"It's not your fault…" Sonic continued to repeat this, as Shadow backed away, thinking it over… "It's not your fault… it's not your fault…"

Shadow then saw what Sonic was trying to do, "Don't you screw with me, Hedgehog…"

"It's not your fault…"

The black hedgehog pushed him, "I swear, if you screw around with me!"

"It's not you, Shadow and it's not your fault."

Finally, Shadow just gave up… the thoughts of Molly… of Maria… of Tails protecting Cosmo… and both of them had… cried over the ones they… putting his face in his hands, he began to sob.

Sonic put an arm around the shaking black Mobian, "_It's not your fault…_"

Shadow just pulled Sonic closer, throwing his arms around his rival and sobbing, as Sonic rubbed his back, "_Oh god, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Tails! I'm sorry…_"

The two stood there for a long time…

* * *

That same night, after Tails' funeral, Sonic, Shadow, Amy and Rouge began to walk off, nearing Tails' grave. Shadow stopped to look a little longer, as did the others.

"Shadow…" Rouge felt bad for her companion.

"I know…"

Well, we have just one problem left…" Sonic carried a familiar flower in a new flower pot, "Someone's got to take care of Tails' rose."

Shadow stared at the pink blossoming flower, and thinking silently… "I'll do it."

They looked surprised at this answer.

"Are you sure, Shadow?" Rouge asked.

"Honestly?" Amy added.

"Very honest…" Shadow held out his hands for it, as Sonic hesitated… but finally gave him the flower, "I do have to make up for what happened."

"Good luck then, buddy." Sonic nodded. Shadow nodded back at him, and as the others pressed on for home, Shadow stayed behind again, kneeling by the grave of the two-tailed fox boy…

"Listen, Miles…" Shadow spoke in a soft whisper, "I don't know if you or Cosmo can hear me but… I really apologize for everything I've done to harm either of you… especially you, Cosmo." He stared at the flower in his hand… and slowly yet gently took one pink petal before placing it on Tails' grave, covering it a little with the dirt. A raindrop fell onto it and Shadow looked upwards. Staring to rain… or perhaps Tails and Cosmo have heard him, with tears of happiness to be together…

"Shadow!"

Rouge's voice called to him and Shadow walked on to follow them, taking one very last look at Tails' grave… and then walked on, clutching the flower close to him…

'_May you and Cosmo always rest in peace… Miles 'Tails' Prower…_'

_**To be continued…**_


End file.
